Stepping On Roses
by AsianBunny
Summary: Coordinating has taken up another level when you have to partner up with your lover. In a new contest tournament called the Rosette Games, couples are only allowed to compete. May, who is very talented, but has little confidence in love, catches the eye of a prodgie, who chooses her to become his girlfriend. His only condition is: "You can't fall in love with me."
1. Golden Chances

**Hello people over here on this archive :) If you do not know me then hi! I'm AsianBunny, and this is the first time I've ever attempted a Pokémon story, but it's my seventh story overall. At first I thought writing a romance for a show I watched when I was a kid, and thought had nothing to do with relationships, was weird, but I've grown to like Contestshipping and other couples. I also had no idea what Shipping even was until like I actually looked on Google. I Google everything XD**

**But anyway, this story was something that came to me, but I used the title of a manga I am reading at the moment because it seemed fitting. The first chapter is a bit uneventful, but I hope people will continue reading this :)**

**Here are the Keys to my story**

**a};**~-~;~-~-~ = Time skip

**~-~-~;~-~-~ = Start and end of flash backs **

**{~X~} = Swap locations**

**Bold = Emphasis on words**

_Italics _**= Speaking their thoughts to themselves **

**Shippings: [Main] Conestshipping, Oldrivalshipping, Questshipping [Secondary] ********Ikarishipping**, Pok**é**shipping  


**Disclaimer: This will be the one and only time I say this throughout the entire story, I don't own anything **

**Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

**Chapter One: Golden Chances**

**May's POV**

There was this flower…

It was crimson red and had smooth petals that looked as if they were made of velvet…

Even from a distance its aroma was so sweet and intoxicatingly beautiful…

All I wanted was to get a closer look…

But this flower…

Used its thorns to cut through my skin, making my hands the exact same colour…

It would never let me get close to it…

No matter how hard I tried…

**********a};**~-~;~-~-~

**No one's POV**

"May, have you got everything honey?"

A woman with caramel brown hair asked her daughter that was standing before her on the outer side of the doorway that led to the sunny world outside their quaint little house in Petalburg City.

The younger version of the woman smiled sweetly as she adjusted the pack around her waist, which had practically everything she'd need for the next couple of months surprisingly. "Yes Mom I have. You triple checked it yourself." She laughed a little, and was soon joined by Caroline, but her mother's giggle had a hint of melancholy in it as she stared at the girl with meaningful amethyst eyes.

It was hard letting her sixteen year old daughter off on her own without the guidance she gave her as a child, but it was probably a parental thing. Caroline knew that May wanted to travel by herself for a while now, and sometime before she gradually accepted to letting her do so. Now that it was actually happening, it was tearing the woman apart inside.

"Well I guess we won't see you for a while…" She began blissfully, tears prickling the corners of her eyes. May orbs widened slightly, taken aback for a moment at her mother's sudden reaction. But her expression softened into a sympathetic smile. She had told her six weeks prior to her journey she was leaving. However the mocha brown haired girl thought Caroline would have better prepared for her departure.

"Mom, I'm going for only a couple of months, not forever. I'll be back before you know it." May placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it tightly, suddenly having the feeling of staying. But it went as quickly as it came for no longer than a millisecond before embracing her mother in a tight hug. "I'll miss you so much, and Dad…" The brunette paused. There was a spark of sadness in her sapphire blue eyes as they closed halfway. But May soon dismissed the thought and held Caroline at arm's length with another bright smile. "But I think Max will be fine without me. He'll be able to handle my leaving the most maturely out of you all." She giggled lightly, trying to make good out of the situation, and her Mother was glad for that. "I think he will be… Now, remember to call us immediately when you get to LaRousse City okay." Caroline pushed a stray lock out of her daughters face as she flattened the sides of her hair as if admiring May's beauty in more perspective than she had before. The older woman tilted her head to the side and smiled. In return the brunette did too.

Caroline placed a kiss on her forehead before hesitating to let her go. May skipped a few paces, stopping at her gate. She turned back to wave her hand high up in the air, the last gesture of a goodbye before she trailed along the dirt road, leading her to the city that hopefully will grant her the Ribbon she desperately needed.

**May's POV**

I was actually doing it.

I was leaving home on my own, well not permanently, but it was definitely something I was afraid of… but in a good way.

I was heading to LaRousse City because they were having a special, one time contest there. With have a Ribbon that is equivalent to five. I could actually enter the Grand Festival with this one Ribbon and not have to compete in other cities!

If I win that is…

I sighed as I stared down at the road, hearing nothing but the tossing gravel with every step I took, and staring at only my shadow following every move I made.

I felt kind of guilty.

Not for leaving. Well maybe a little, but I was competing in this for the wrong reasons… Were they wrong? I like coordinating as much as the next person, but what I really needed was… the prize money.

After becoming a Top Coordinator the winner receives a whole lot of cash, along with that trophy, the prestigious Ribbon Cup. And I needed that money because Dad… was very sick… and he was getting worse with every day that has passed. No one knows what he was diagnosed with, not even Nurse Joy. Even though her specialty was with Pokémon, she did have a lot of expertise in humans, but apparently not enough to cure my Father.

I exhaled another exasperated sigh, feeling already drained even though I had been walking for no less than half an hour. I had debated with myself about the topic for a while, and this was the only conclusion I could come up with. Mom had enough to take care of with the gym and all, since she was a Trainer so she had to take Dad's place as the leader for the time being. And opting out Max was obvious because he was too young to work.

So that left me.

I had to get a lot of money in a short amount of time, so this contest was my only chance to help my Father.

I just hope I can…

**********a};**~-~;~-~-~

Oh, my, Arceus…

LaRousse City was amazing! And I'm still on the bullet train looking at it from afar. It was an island surrounded entirely by crystal clear waters, and from what I've heard, is one of the most modernised cities in all of Hoenn.

As I peered through the glass windows examining the vast amounts of windmills that probably powered the city, my eyes were being blinded by the bright sun that shone today, but I didn't mind. I placed my left hand over them so I could divert the rays away from blocking my vision. I was so mesmerised I hadn't realised that we already stopped at the station.

I made my way off the train and down the escalator along with the other passengers, but found myself lost the second my feet touched the ground floor. _Where was I supposed to go?_ I wondered. I think I came less prepared than I had originally thought.

I breathed deeply to try to keep calm. LaRousse was huge yes, but I just need the directory or something to find my way to the Contest Hall.

Trying to locate the said map, I headed towards the exit so I could get further into the city. But upon bumping into a welcome robot, it spontaneously took my picture and handed me my apparent 'passport'. It said I could use it for shopping and such.

As it handed me the official looking plastic card, I frowned upon my ID_. I do not photograph well when I'm surprised._ I figured stuffing it in my back pocket as I exited out through the automatic doors, only to be swift away to my right, slipping and landed straight on my face.

I rubbed my head as I sat up, only to realise that the sidewalks were moving. There were various red and green coloured platforms that were going a little too fast for my liking. I got up and tried to steady myself, but ended up falling back down again. "This is a lot harder than I thought." I said to myself, not caring if anyone heard me, but apparently somebody did.

"You're never going to get anywhere like **that**."

Someone passing by in the opposite platform said to me. I was too busy trying to get up to realise I was being lifted into the air. I looked up and saw an Electivire picking me up by the collar of my top. It gently lifted me down on another sidewalk beside someone.

When I glanced upwards I saw the electric Pokémon return to its owner as a red light flashed before me back into its ball. It went from that sphere, to a hand to a face of a boy with spiky auburn brown hair.

His eyes were closed as a sort of smirk tugged at his lips, which kind of put me off for some reason. Nonetheless I was finally able to stand on my two feet. I wobbled a bit, but didn't fall this time. "T-thanks…" I muttered, still concentrating on my balance.

I heard him chuckle under his breath as he minimised his Poké Ball and placed it into his jean pocket. "Sure, no need to thank me. I just couldn't continue watching you look like a fool." I immediately forgot about standing up straight and concentrated on him. "What's that supposed to mean?" I yelled, not realising I was standing perfectly well when I was not paying attention to the moving sidewalk.

"You're an out of town kid right?" He asked, but I momentarily paused to answer as I took in his comment referring me as a kid. "Yeah…" I answered in a softer tone, more confused than angry now. He just shrugged and jumped off the platform onto the concrete part that was set in front of the train station I just came out of.

I did the same and was about to ask something when he beat me to it. "The directory it just there," He said jerking his thumb over to another one of those cubed robots. This one was stacked like an upside-down triangle, and was visually showing a map to the city. "Just don't get lost and end up on the sidewalks all night." Before I could counteract his smug comment, he already took off down another path.

All I could do was scoff openly at nothing. I shook him out of my head, realising I had other things to worry about. I turned my attention to the robot. I assumed the red blinking light was where I was, but I couldn't tell where the places were as nothing was labelled.

It wasn't until the machine asked me to present my passport did I realise I could just ask where the Contest Hall was. When it scanned my card it outlined a route I could take that will get me there in time to register. I just hope I won't get lost on the moving walkways.

Dammit, maybe that guy was right. I better ask where the Pokémon Centre was too so I could check out a room…

**********a};**~-~;~-~-~

**No one's POV**

In a dimly lit room equipped with the most advanced technology in the entire city, a large computer screen that had several profiles of newly arrived passengers outside of LaRousse appeared.

Come and gone as fast as they came, a boy lazily flicked through them, laying his cheek against his left hand as the other controlled the mouse pad built into the seat he was sitting on.

He exhaled a deep sigh as he took a short break from researching and tried to recollect his thoughts that at some point became a bit blurry from the amount of time he stayed couped up in that room.

But his concentration was soon broken when the automatic metal doors behind him opened with a light swoosh, presenting an auburn brunette boy around the same age. "I knew I'd find you in here," He stated predictably as he strode in until he was able to lean casually on the head of the chair his friend was sitting on. "Don't tell me you've been here all day."

"Yep he has." A girlish voice answered.

The obsidian black eyed Trainer turned to his right as he saw a long, chocolate brown haired girl hop down from the circular platform she was apparently resting on and made her way over to him. She placed a hand on her hip as she stared at the back of their green haired companion. "He hasn't left in three days. I'm seriously worried that he's turned into a zombie."

"I'm not dead you know."

The said boy stated, startling the people behind him for actually speaking.

Even though he hadn't taken his eyes from the screen, saying five words was progress to them, which made the brunette male nod as he waved his hand dismissively despite the fact his friend wasn't watching. "Sure, sure whatever you say Drew," This made the girl beside him laugh a little. "Just remember the deadline is next week. Leaf and I already got an interview so you better find one fast." He already knew that his chartreuse haired friend understood that already, he just wanted to remind him.

"Gary you should concentrate on **us**, after all he's going to be our rival in this competition," Leaf pointed out. "Besides…" She paused to pinch his check as the warm brunette smiled all too sweetly. "Who wouldn't love us?" The blue jade eyed girl said in a baby voice, shaking Gary's head gently from left to right.

"Can you quit the lovey-dovey crap around me?" The boy who was intently staring at the computer screen asked. Even though he couldn't see the two he wasn't able block out their cutesy talk.

Leaf giggled as she playfully wrapped her arms around Gary's neck. "It's all part of the show right?" She pointed out rhetorically, not really needing an answer from the green haired boy.

Drew just continued to fast forwards through all the people that just came in, but stopped suddenly when Gary pointed to a profile in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. "Hey I saw that girl not too long ago. She was such a klutz!" The brunette then started laughing at the girl's expense from the past memory, which made Leaf jab him in the gut with her elbow. "That's not nice," She simply said.

"But…" The chocolate brown haired girl began. "She does seem familiar. Why don't you look up on her?" Leaf suggested to her emerald eyed friend.

For a moment Drew examined the badly taken photograph of the light mocha brunette enlarged on the screen.

"May Maple, huh…"

**********a};**~-~;~-~-~

**May's POV**

"Ugh…" I groaned tiringly as I plopped onto my queen sized bed in the room I checked into not too long ago.

When I finally reached the Contest Hall I was lucky enough to register before it closed a couple minutes later. Like that guy said… I had trouble getting around…

I breathed out in relief as I had finally had time to relax before the competition began tomorrow. I have already decided to use Skitty for the entire thing. But I'm kind of worried…

I mean I haven't competed in a contest in nearly two years. Right after Dad had just gotten sick…

So I guess that's why I stopped. I had other responsibilities to take care of. I wonder if I can get back the old me, the one who loved to compete just for the fun of it. I have to win this time around… no matter what…

**********a};**~-~;~-~-~

**No one's POV**

"Hello! And welcome to the very first LaRousse City Pokémon Contest!"

An orange haired woman standing in the centre of the arena that had a giant Poké Ball painted in a white octagon outline declared quite energetically as she thrust her arm high up in the air, earning a wave of cheers from the crowd. "I'm your MC, Vivian Meridian, and today we'll present the prestigious LaRousse Ribbon to one very lucky Coordinator! Because this single Ribbon is equal to five! So whoever wins this can enter the Hoenn Grand Festival immediately!" More screams erupted from the fully seated audience as they became fidgety with excitement.

The host smiled at their response and continued. "Now let me introduce you to our renowned panel of judges!" Vivian then motioned her arm towards a man in a red coat sitting by the edge. "First up we have Raoul Contesta, our trusted Pokémon Contest director!" The said judge nodded in recognition and said, "I can't wait to see what talent this city will bring us."

After Mr Contesta's comment, the Hoenn MC moved on the shorter man in the middle booth. "Next we have Mr Sukizo, the president of the Pokémon fan club!" The judge had very small eyes but a kind smile. "It's remarkable to be here." He said repeating the same word he had used over the years in contests.

Lastly the curly redhead announced their last judge, a woman with lovely pink hair tied into two loops. "And last but not least, LaRousse City's very own Nurse Joy!" The kind woman smiled sweetly. She had a red cross on her white hat, proclaiming her signature colour. "I hope to see many loved and healthy Pokémon here today."

Now that the introductions were clear, Vivian turned back to the audience. "Well good luck to all you contestants, because this will be the first and final singles contest in LaRousse City!" Questionable and confused murmurs echoed throughout the stadium as the people in their seats and Coordinators in the waiting room whispered to each other.

Did Vivian mean that this is a once in a lifetime Ribbon?

Luckily the host was going to answer all their inquiries. "Because after this contest, we will be hosting a brand new competition called the Rosette Games! With a very special condition," At her last line, Vivian leaned in towards the audience with a playful grin and a wink as she pointed upwards with her index finger in an all knowing way. "From now on only lover's pairs will be able to compete for the Rose Cup! Both contestants will automatically gain the titles of Top Coordinators, without the regulations of five Ribbons or even entering the Grand Festival!"

**{~X~}**

Back in the waiting room, May and all the other contestants gaped openly at the television screen. The MC was still visible as the audio of a rambunctious crowd filled the speaker sets in all corners of the area.

The mocha brunette had another hope burning inside her when she realised this wasn't her final chance if she entered in the apparent Rosette Games. But it was soon disappeared when she realised she needed **something** to compete. Or more like **someone**.

May shook her head and put on a smile, as if trying to prove to herself she was fine rather than to anyone else. _I need a boyfriend if I want to compete for that Rose Cup. I guess the LaRousse Ribbon really is my last hope…_

**{~X~}**

On stage at the centre of the arena, Vivian was still explaining the rest of the Games to everyone.

"This competition is a collaboration made between Wallace, the famed Coordinator and Pokémon Master responsible for the Wallace Cup, and Fantina of the Hearthome City Gym all the way from the Sinnoh region!" Some fan girl screams could be picked out from the audience when they heard the mention of Wallace. After all he was a respected Trainer. Others were fan boy cheers for the French Trainer, now finally able to express her new battling technique through this brand new competition.

"This will be broadcasted in episodes so that everyone all over the world will know the special contestants competing for this amazing prize! But for now, without further ado, let's begin this contest!"

This certain contest brought in so many talented Coordinators and Pokémon from all over. It was sight to see such beauty from the appeals of all types. Water, fire, grass, electric, they were all here. And in this intense battle, only one will rise victorious.

After several Coordinators passed in and out through the arena, it was finally May's turn.

She took a deep breath and got up from the bench she was sitting on as her name was called up to go next. The mocha brunette clutched her minimised Poké Ball and looked forward with a determined expression. _I hope I'm not too rusty. _She thought as she stepped out of the hallway and into the blinding stage of the cheering stadium.

May was hardly able to see the audience as the spotlight partially blurred her vision, but when she got used to the brightness the sapphire eyed girl managed to smile into the crowd, contrasting the very light that shone with her soft lips.

The untouched emotions of her earlier Coordinating days began to rise up inside of her. The adrenaline, the rush, it was all back. And it soon took over all her actions.

"Skitty take the stage!"

May enlarged her red and white sphere, and out emerged an energetic cat-like creature. It had a Cheshire grin and a fuzzy pink coat that made it look like it was covered in cotton candy. Overall, the crowd were in awe of its cuteness.

"Skitty, use Blizzard and twirl!" Its Coordinator commanded with a thrust of her arm in the Pokémon's direction.

And she did just that. The puffy tailed creature made its signature call as a sign that she understood. As it pointed its head upwards, she opened her mouth and soon was shooting a flurry of white snow into the air. As Skitty did this it jumped and began spinning by using the tip of its tail. It almost looked like an upside down motion of a moving skipping rope.

"What a beautiful and charming start!" The MC complemented as she drew out her hand to touch a small spot of cold ice that floated into her palm as it slowly melted from the warmth of her skin, "Using one of Skitty's very own characteristic moves!"

The audience roared as they saw the adorable act. Now it looked like there was a snow fountain in the middle of the arena, falling gently on the field in the shape of a circle.

"Now use DoubleSlap!" May ordered, this time pulling her arm back into a tight grip of her fist.

Skitty did as it was told and once again did a little jump before landing on its front paws. Its tail then did the move a total of three times, going into the shape of an asterisk.

"Just look at that movement!" Vivian marvelled. "Skitty is literally cutting the tension in the room with its tail!"

Once the remnants of the Blizzard died down and cleared the area, the eyes of hundreds were now able to see the giant snowflake planted on the ground, outstretching to all corners of the stage.

And that was the end of the performance.

At least that was what everyone thought.

"Now use Assist!"

Gasps erupted from left and right. They all knew using that move was a risk, but May prepared for it. No matter what was coming, she had already thought of each possible outcome and told her Skitty what to do. She knew it was a gamble, but the Coordinator had to put it all on the line this time around.

And what move did Skitty perform?

"It's a Silver Wind!" The orange haired woman announced in shock as her free hand was placed on her cheek.

_Silver Wind, that will do just fine._ The brunette thought to herself. "Now, do it Skitty!" May shouted enthusiastically. Her Pokémon knew what to do.

It jumped up high in the air like it did the first two times, only it was much taller. She performed a few front flips before facing downwards and shotting the glittering wind to the ground.

As the air pushed Skitty up higher, it brought to snow from the floor with her, spinning like a tornado. The cat-like creature made a photogenic pose in the air as the soft shimmering ice surrounded it.

The pink puffball spun gently until it reached the ground as its finishing act. The people in the stands were both cheering for the amazing appeal and at the icy delight graciously falling onto their bodies. It was like they were in an enlarged dome of a snow globe.

"Wow would you look at that," Vivian marvelled. "It's really glittering snow falling upon us. This is even more spectacular than the snow you see on Christmas!" She exclaimed, twirling in the glistening frozen water that accumulated by her feet. The sparkles of the snow were made by the combination of that Silver Wind and the remains of Skitty's Blizzard.

The two contestants, both human and Pokémon bowed proudly before glancing over at the judges panel to view their scores.

9.8

9.9

10.0

In total 29.7 points.

May sighed in relief; she was satisfied with her score. At least she knew she was safe, at least until the second round.

**{~X~}**

"Wow, she's good." A chocolate brown haired girl said in awe as her jade blue orbs stared intently on the Coordinator getting feedback from the judges.

"Tell me again why we're helping Drew scout for his partner?" The boy beside her asked questioningly as he lowered his eyes at the stage. Leaf shook her head from side to side as she smiled at the girl known as May, who began making her way backstage where she came from. "We're not **helping** him Gary," This caught the brunette's attention as he slightly glanced at her from the corner of his eyes.

"We're just seeing who we're up against. Because once this is over, we'll both know who he'll pick."

**********a};**~-~;~-~-~

**May's POV**

_Thirty seconds left…_

"Skitty use Assist!" This time she managed an Ember, which greatly affected my opponent's, Grace, Medicham.

I made it to the finals, but I had a hard time coping. Battling was **not** one of my strong points. And since I've been out of the game for so long, my skills were out of shape.

"Medicham, show them your Ice Punch!" The pigtailed redhead said in a powerful tone as she pointed straight towards my Skitty. Her Pokémon cried out its call, performing what looked like to be yoga poses, before doing the actual move.

I cringed and gritted my teeth when her attack hit straight on. It took me a lot from screaming at my competitor, because watching my Pokémon fly into the ground and skid before my feet was just too hurtful. But I pulled all my anger back and thought of a way to counteract her Medicham's swift movements. "Okay Skitty, we can get through this!" I encouraged almost desperately to her. The feline type creature turned back and gave an affirmative nod with a small meow, agreeing with me.

I felt a smile grow on my face. I loved how my Pokémon would never give up until the very end, no matter who tried to get in their way.

Without wasting any more time, I turned back to the field and called my next move. "Blizzard attack Skit-!"

The timer went off.

Grace and I, as well as the entire audience, instantaneously snapped our heads towards the giant plasma screen. At that exact moment I could swear everything went silent. It felt like my heart skipped a beat when I glanced at the results. Both of our bars looked exactly alike. But there can only be one winner.

When the judges calculated who accumulated the most points and presented the image of the victor after moments of deliberation, I felt a small smile grow on my face.

I called back my Pokémon and it jumped up into my arms. I felt weak, particularly my knees, but I kept my composure so they wouldn't buckle from under me.

I closed my eyes to stop the wave of tears from flowing down my face. I swallowed a breath and hid my face from the crowd by nuzzling the back of Skitty's fur.

"I lost…"

**{~X~}**

**No one's POV**

Amongst the stands filled with hundreds of screaming fans, one certain pair of emerald green eyes scanned over the participating contestants as he leaned on the frame of one of the many entryways to the stadium, his arms folded across his chest while his lips were pressed into a thin line.

The winner of the LaRousse City Contest stood centre stage, holding her red Ribbon up victoriously. It had a thin, light pink lace lining on the edges and a gold rose charm adorned with silver leaves holding it together in the middle.

But he wasn't looking at her.

The chartreuse haired spectator was more interested in one of the Coordinators standing off to the side with the rest of the competitors who lost in the other rounds, only coming out to give one last bow as a sign of good showmanship.

His gaze seemed to be concentrating on the runner up, May. Although she had come quite close to winning, and was disappointed for her loss, she still smiled towards the audience as she held her Skitty, proud of her Pokémon that they tried their very best.

The curious boy took one last glance at the brunette before he stuffed his left hand in his pants pocket and made his way down the hallway, towards the exit of the arena.

A wave various thoughts filled his head, contemplating on his final decision.

"She'll have to do…"

* * *

**I promise there's more coming, I just wonder if this plot is appealing to you guys :/ I don't want to badger you guys into reviewing, but I do want to get your opinion. So yeah, please review XD If you've read something like this before then I'm sorry. If you haven't then whohoo! Cause I got a lot of this already planned and I hope this idea is original. And if my punctuation seems weird it's because in my earlier story's I didn't use them that well, so I'm still learning XP**

**See you readers next time when I update ;)**

* * *

**XOXO AsianBunny  
**


	2. Coordinator in Distress

**Thanks for those who actually liked this story :) I know the first chapter was boring, I just don't like rushing things, but I can't talk since this story is going to be like sixteen chapters, but I'm still happy people read this.**

**Anyway here are my responses to the reviews :)**

**RockyBlue DanxRuno: Yeah I knew you'd be reading this at night XD Don't worry I haven't actually started anything yet. So it is a little hard to get.**

**theasianwonder: Thank you so much! And yeah they are, sorry XP I actually stared this a while ago so the later chapters are much better. There will be more drama in terms of romance.**

**Did I mention it's my birthday today? And it's been officially a year since I've been on here. So I'd be the happiest person in the world if I could get more reviews :) Does that sound desperate? I know it's the complete opposite of what I said in the last chapter but hey, I'm really random XP**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Coordinator in Distress**

**No one's POV**

"May Maple, no wonder she reminded me of someone," Leaf said, spreading her arms on the control panel as she took in the sapphire blue eyed girl's battle at the contest the day before.

She was up to the scene where May had used her Skitty to perform a combination Razor Leaf Blizzard attack, completely knocking her opponents Pokémon out cold for the preliminary round battle. The chocolate brunette examined her actions and made a mental note in her head about the Coordinator's skill level.

The Trainer paused the episode for a moment by using a sphere like orb mouse before she clicked onto a different tab. It was one that had the image of the same mocha brown haired girl, only she was a few years younger. And next to her were several sets of fully completed Ribbon collections. "She's **the** May Maple." Leaf stated in awe.

"You know her personally?" Drew asked sitting in the seat in front of the screen.

Before the actual LaRousse City Contest began, he had done a little research on the runner up. And boy did he hit gold.

Leaf shook her head, still staring at May's photo and accomplishments. "No, but I've seen her on television before. I can't believe she's competed in Hoenn, Kanto and Johto. Her record is amazing," She breathed. "I mean first she was in the top eight at just ten, the top four at twelve, and the top two at fourteen," Leaf then turned to the chartreuse haired boy with a less than joyed expression. "I'm in for some tough competition if you decide to pick her. You're hard enough alone as it is."

A small inaudible chuckle escaped his lips as he flicked his hair with a smug smirk. His emerald orbs trailed from the jade eyed girl to the Coordinator on the screen. "We'll see if she agrees to it first. You mind helping me?" Drew asked, turning his attention back to Leaf.

The long chocolate haired brunette smiled almost deviously as she pulled out a Poké Ball from her skirt pocket and threw it up in the air to enlarge it before catching it. "Well seeing as were still friends for the moment, I'll give you a hand before you turn into my enemy, lucky you huh?" She finished off with a wink.**  
**

**********a};**~-~;~-~-~

May groaned deeply as her face was smothered into her bed pillow.

She resisted the urge to scream and wake up the other temporary residents, but the unsatisfied feeling in the centre of her chest burned so bad that she just had to let it all out on the cushion she had been sleeping on for the past restless night. That is if you called tossing and turning throughout the wee hours of the morning 'sleeping'.

It took the brunette two hours to actually get out of bed, mostly because her unruly hair had been bothering her, or maybe it was the grumbling noise emanating from her stomach. Either or, she wanted to get out and find a way to release all her disappointment and anger.

After getting ready at a sluggish pace, she strapped on the bag around her waist and headed for the lobby of the Pokémon Centre. It was about seven so only a few were out an about, which meant no line at the cafeteria.

May usually had a good appetite, and at times it would be downright unhealthy, but today, as she slowly chewed on her single piece of buttered and jammed toast, she suddenly felt even emptier than she was before eating.

Leaving the piece of bread that only had two bites taken out of it, the blue eyed Coordinator headed straight out on the moving streets of LaRousse, searching for something that could relieve some of her stress.

"There has to be something," May said to herself, or more like pleaded as she took one of the walkways that lead her to the park by the shore of the ocean.

As she strolled down the wooden boardwalk, May only noticed a couple of children playing with a couple of Pokémon, or scrambling around to find the high tech vending machine wandering around. Somehow, things were too calm for her liking.

But because of her lack of concentration, the brunette hadn't realised she had walked halfway around the park into the deeper parts where a forest hid most of the relaxing scenery bothering her. May decided to go off course and headed further up the brush of trees. She never realised how high it was until she reached the top and could see the entire city.

"Use Petal Dance Roserade!"

A husky voice commanded, which caused the mocha brunette to go in search for the voice out of pure curiosity. The echoing of it disturbed some Taillows resting among the trees, but May pressed on, going higher up the steep hill.

As she got up to a clearing, a flurry of pink rose petals blew passed her; some even managed to get caught in her hair and eyes. Her vision was disoriented at the sudden gust of power, but when it managed to become clear again, she saw a pair of Trainers battling. And it seemed like the auburn haired one on the end lost as his Umbreon lied motionless on the dirt field.

Then something hit her. _That's the same jerk- I mean guy from yesterday._ But May's mouth was only slightly agape as she took in the scene.

"So that makes it seven wins for me and six for you right Gary?" The same voice from before spoke, and when May turned her head to the person on the other side of the battlefield, what really caught her attention was the abnormal hair colour of a boy about her age, a surprising hue of green.

His opponent scoffed as he returned his Pokémon, but not after mumbling thanks to it. "Drew, Drew, Drew," He began, stuffing his now minimized Poké Ball into his pocket. "Do you seriously keep count?" By the tone of his voice, May could tell that this 'Gary' character **was** taking a tally, and was only trying to gain some of his pride back avoiding the question.

As May stared at the obsidian eyed boy, she missed the quick glance she got from Drew.

The chartreuse haired Trainer simple shrugged off Gary's attempt of salvaging up his dignity and finally took the time to notice the spectator off the invisible side lines. "May we help you?" He asked.

The said girl zipped her pupils back to him. "How do you know my name?" She had clearly hadn't heard the question right as Drew let out a silent chuckle. He momentarily checked his surroundings to give her a second to correct herself. But when she didn't, the emerald eyed boy said, "I meant do you need something? But by the way things are going I take it your name is May?" Drew already knew it was, but she didn't know he knew, and that's how things were going to go until he says otherwise.

The mocha brunette slowly nodded in confirmation. "Uh yeah…" She answered sheepishly. "I just thought there was a battle, sorry for bothering you guys." As she turned and was about to head back downhill, Drew stopped her by saying. "I heard you're quite the battler," This intrigued May as she jumped a little, turning to him once again to continue speaking. "But that was Gary's opinion," He gestured over his friend, who for some reason put his arms up defensively before walking backwards into the woods, leaving the two alone.

"So would you like to battle?" Drew asked, already having his chosen Pokémon in his hand. May laughed uncomfortably as she too raised her arms. "Sorry, but I'm a Coordinator," She explained.

"So am I," The emerald orbed Trainer declared proudly, surprising her for a minute there. "But that doesn't mean I'm a weak battler. I've been looking for some good competition, so how about it?" As May was about to reply, she choked on her words.

_A battle huh?_ She thought. Then suddenly May remembered the reason why she was in the park in the first place, to release all her insecurities about losing the LaRousse City Ribbon the day before.

After thinking about it for some time by staring at the floor of the forest, May looked up with a nostalgic look on her face. "Okay, I accept your challenge." This brought a smirk onto Drew's face, which she did not like at all from the way it remained there until she got to the other end of the field.

Seeing as this was only a battle for fun, or a stress reliever in May's case, she just went for the Poké Ball she first pulled out, which was her Beautifly's one.

But before either Coordinator could release their Pokémon, a large blurry figure swooped down, knocking May off her feet.

Once she pulled herself off the ground and shakily stood up, the brunette managed to make out the blob, despite the dirt irritating her eyes. "A Skarmory…" She whispered horridly. A memory flashed before her, an incident that occurred with that certain creature.

At that moment May thought of giving up the battle to just run away, but for some reason, the same steel-type Pokémon kept diving at her. It kept corning her and managed to rip the side of her leggings until she had made it to Drew's side. He didn't look that phased at all.

"It will be quite tiresome to get rid of it, my Roserade is already worn out," He murmured to himself, but made sure May heard him. She whipped her head to him with eyes full of worry. They were even more startled when he took her hand. "W-what are you doing?" She questioned stutteringly, indicating their entwined fingers with bob of her head.

With nothing but a a small smirk Drew said, "So pardon my rudeness for when I do this." Then, out of nowhere, the chartreuse haired Coordinator bent down and picked up May, cradling her in his arms, one secured around her waist while the other hooked under her legs. "What are you doing?!" She repeated again, even more distressed than before when the Pokémon tried to bite her leg off.

"It's a gentleman's job to protect a lady." _What gentleman?! All I see is a random trying to act cool in this death forsaken situation!_ May thought before she started yelling her head off. "Let go of me! Let go of me!" She ordered hitting her fists on his chest, which was doing very little to help.

She knew the chances of getting free were slim when he already took off running diagonally down the hill. Drew was practically skidding from how slanted the piece of land was, and much to May's dislike, there were multiple trees around that could possibly injure the two of them, without the help of the 'wild' Skarmory.

**{~X~}**

"That will be the one and only time I will **ever**, lose a battle with him." Gary seethed to Leaf as the two crouched down in the bushes watched the two Coordinators scurry away from the flying steel-type Pokémon.

The chocolate brunette rolled her jade blue orbs before looking back at the scene. "Now, now Gary, just because your ego can't handle losing seven times doesn't mean-" Before she could finish the spiky haired Trainer cut her off. "We never even battled before!" He defended overdramatically. "He just added the 'seven' wins to make himself look better," Gary pointed out before pouting like a spoilt child, crossing his arms and everything.

Leaf silently sighed before standing up from the patch of shrubs. "Anyways," She said widening her eyes a little before going back to normal. "Let's catch up with Prince Charming and Cinderella before they end up in the lake and not the pumpkin carriage." With that, she turned on her heel and skipped away.

Gary rubbed his forehead as he began to follow her. "I knew I shouldn't have brought you to Disneyland. Now you use references to codename everything…" He exhaled a breath before hurrying to her side.

**{~X~}**

As May was carried off into the sunset, or in this case running towards the water, she was practically screaming her lungs out, which wasn't helping Drew's hearing.

At some point she forgot to see if the Skarmory was chasing her anymore, and since her mind was so clouded, she didn't know that it was not.

"Slow down!" She screeched, hugging onto Drew's neck tighter, which was cutting off his circulation as he started choking from lack of oxygen. But before the green haired Coordinator got the chance to do as she said, he tripped on the edge of the wooden planked boardwalk May was strolling on earlier, and fell straight for the body of salty water.

After they splashed in, it took a while before they emerged out gasping for air. May was still in Drew's arms, and somehow being drenched in water made her even more agitated. The position they were in, the setting, it was all too familiar.

May was in a daze for so long she hadn't realised he was calling her name.

The sapphire blue orbed girl swallowed breath, and for just a second, the grip on his damp shirt tightened before she let go. "That's enough. Put me down already." She ordered, and this time he knew she was serious. Drew let her down easy, but helped her keep steady when May's legs began to wobble in the water. "I'm fine." She assured, brushing away his sturdy arms as if they were infected with an incurable disease.

She made her way to back to the path and pulled herself out. May sat there for a while squeezing out the reaming liquid from her clothes and hair, not bothering to speak anymore even though Drew still stayed with her, sitting not too far away.

"Look," He started to catch her interest. Although May didn't turn Drew knew she was listening. "First impressions aren't really my strong point, so I'll just cut to the chase," This finally got May curious. She pulled the bandana from her hair and shook her head like a Lillipup after a bath before the brunette gave him her undivided attention.

"I saw you compete at the LaRousse City Contest yesterday," A pang of hurt hit May as she tried to look unfazed about the matter, but Drew was able to catch that slight cringe. "And I know you wanted to win for a reason. But I won't pry about that. All I want to ask you is that do you want to be a Top Coordinator?"

May jolted back at his question, how did he know she wanted to be one? Sure that's what Coordinating's all about, it's the main goal, but she just met him, literally half an hour ago, so what does he know about her at all?

Despite this the Trainer responded, but only half-heartedly. "Yeah I do. But what concern is that to you?" She wondered, now even more self-conscious than before.

A small yet visible grin tugged at the corner of Drew's lips, one that May wasn't quick enough to catch. "Then let me make a proposition," The blue eyed girl raised her eyebrow as a sign to elaborate. "You've heard of the Rosette Games right?" May nodded. "Yeah, it's that competition that only couples are allowed to compete in. What about it?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

His upfront question nearly made May fall back into the water again.

It took her a moment to compose herself before she said, "What?!" Or more like yelled. Her mouth hanged open as her eyes pleaded for an explanation. No one just asks someone that after knowing them for less than thirty minutes.

"Just for the Games," Drew specified. "Only until it's over, then we can go our separate ways again." When he saw May was staring mindlessly at the murky reflection of herself in the water, the Coordinator knew he had to say more in order for her to say yes. "I'm looking for the best. And by the looks of it, you're as close as I'm going to get for my standards," May glanced at him from the corner of her eye, somewhat flattered at what she hoped was a complement.

"So what do you say?" The chartreuse haired boy said as he held out his hand for her to shake as an agreement.

It took the mocha haired brunette a long while of deliberation before she could come up with an answer. But then she remembered her sick Father, the one she needed to help, no matter what she had to sacrifice, even if it was herself.

"Deal…" May shook her now new boyfriend's hand, but her face was void of all emotion.

Drew smiled victoriously as he pulled his hand away. The Coordinator got up on his feet and dusted off his hands, but a sudden reminder struck him in which he had to tell May. "But there is this one condition, and try not to break it," As May wringed out her hair for the final time, she gave him an uncomfortable glance as her legs swung off the side of the boardwalk.

"You can't fall in love with me."

That was when she fell right back into the lake.

* * *

**Yeah this is the part of the summary that actually happens. From here on out things will get better ;) And in celebration of my birthday, I made another story, one about music. Sure there are a lot of other ones about that, but I am determined to make my one stand out if possible. It will feature K-Pop, my favourite type X) I'm actually pretty good at this genre so I hope you guys will check it out.**

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**XOXO AsianBunny**


	3. A Rose and its Thorn

_**Wow it's been a long time since I updated this story. I have that problem. Sorry about that XP So how was everyone's New Year? I've been sleeping for about twelve hours every day now and it inevitably turned me into jelly. I feel like I'm not actually in my body, if you get what I mean. You probably don't 'cause I'm making no sense. Anyways I'm wondering how long this story will take, but I have a couple of sweet bits to add in so I hope you will enjoy them when they come :)**_

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_**Reviews:**_

_**AnimeFreakzoid911: Aww, thank you even though that was ages ago XD And thanks for being a new reviewer to me :) Love the avatar of Yukina by the way.**_

_**AdorableMe: Yeah I'm making them the comedic pair in this story I think. There has to be some comic relief after all XP Thanks for being a new review too :)**_

_**Guest: Thanks for liking the story :) I'm glad you like it even though it's been a while since I updated. **_

_**Alethea R. Grey: Short, but sweet :) Another new reviewer! It makes me happy getting them.**_

_**Thalanthus: Wow that review made me gush ^~^ There's a group? I thought it was just fun to write for the sake of it. It's not really my thing but maybe it's becoming something more to me. And yes I'm continuing this! I don't like leaving things unfinished, depends on what it is but still XP Thanks for being a new reviewer, and thank you for being so sweet :)**_

* * *

**Chapter Three: A Rose and its Thorn**

* * *

_**No One**_

"I can't believe he convinced her," Gary said in awe as he observed Drew and May with a curiosity you would use with pair of animals at the zoo.

Leaf rested her chin in her hand as she stared at them with the same intriguing eyes as Gary's. "Well, Drew always had a way with words."

For the past twenty-four hours they had watched the two Coordinators as if they were celebrities, which in comparison made Leaf and Gary appear like stalkers. And they most likely were.

"Yeah, but now that they're actually going to enter the Games it's going to make things a whole lot harder for us," Gary pointed out with a shake of his head. Deep down he wondered he helped Drew. Sure they were friends, sure they were alike in some aspects, and sure they had known each other for most of their lives…

Perhaps Gary didn't need to figure out why he helped Drew. It was pretty self-explanatory anyways.

"Oh, are you scared?" Leaf chided with a smirk. "What happened to the all mighty Gary and his ego filled balloon head that could block the door to the Contest hall?" She raised her arms to her side as another added effect to pull his leg. "I'm still surprised we managed to get in here." Leaf couldn't help but snicker to herself on the inside. Teasing her partner was just too much fun.

Gary chose to ignore Leaf's on scheduled snide comment and continued examining May and Drew, who were currently rehearsing their interview layout for the Games. Although it didn't look like things were going smoothly for them, and their meeting with the judges was right after theirs. At times May would flail her arms up with an angered expression on her face, while Drew would sigh and slap his hands down his teeth clenching face. One day was obviously not enough time for them to get ready for this interview.

Gary didn't have to worry about it because he and Leaf got everything down pact. She was a natural born actress, and he could fool anybody with the way he felt so physically comfortable with her. They played the couple act down to a T. It even amazed _him_ at times.

"Hey, no silent treatment on me, buddy," Leaf ordered lightly as she poked a finger at his chest. She stood up from the bench outside the interview room when the last couple that entered treaded out, dragging their feet in disappointment all the way to the exit. "We have to sell this lovey-dovey thing, remember?"

Gary, putting on his million dollar smile, wrapped an arm lazily around her waist while tugging down her round white hat, which made Leaf grunt in annoyance. She didn't like it when people, mainly Gary, messed with her hair.

"Got it princess," he said coolly as he manoeuvred her into the interview room where three familiar judges awaited lined up in their panel positions. The sun at noon sent a warm glow to the room from the ceiling-to-floor window situated behind them.

Seeing as the only piece of furniture in the room other than the judge's table and chairs was a burgundy red sofa made for two placed in front of them, Gary and Leaf made the obvious move to take their places on the couch.

Gary's arm was now laid casually around Leaf shoulders as she leaned into him with a goofy smile that somehow suited her. The judges had already made silent observations about the two.

"This is Leaf Green and Gary Oak of Kanto," Vivian introduced from the side as she read off the clipboard in her hands.

"Oh, I've heard of you two," Nurse Joy perked. "You were in the semi-finals of the 9th Pokémon League Tournament."

The pair nodded and Gary added, "But in the end I got ahead."

That earned him a playful hit on the chest. "Don't mind his ego," she said apologetically. "In all honestly if it weren't for that I wouldn't be dating him."

The judges all laughed, slightly curious on their relationship. There was only so much one could handle about their other half's arrogance. It took a great deal of patience, that, or if both were equally narcissistic.

"So tell us about your first date," Mr Contesta asks with an outfaced palm as an indication for them to speak.

The two share a loving look that the judges couldn't help but admire. However they were just trying to keep from laughing. They had been on a few dates sure, but they were in what they called an "open relationship", so acting this fluffy was quite entertaining for them.

"Leaf loves fairy tales," Gary said tearing his gaze from his partner. She giggled at his answer. "I took her to the Disneyland in Kanto after the Tournament ended." He passed her an affectionate glance. "It took me forever to convince her to say yes."

Leaf bashfully rolled her eyes. "Well we battled a couple of times. The ending score was three to five." She leaned into the three with a smirk. "I won in the end, so feeling sorry for him I agreed to the date." Leaf then lowered her head as she stared at Gary's yin yang pendent. Pulling down her hat she said softly. "It was the best day of my life…"

Nurse Joy and Vivian awed at them while the two male judges chuckled.

"I think you two will make a remarkable addition to the Games," Mr Sukizo said happily.

Mr Contesta nodded in agreement while Nurse Joy seemed to me in deep thought about something. "Disneyland…" she mumbled to herself.

"Here are the planned events," Vivian said making her way over to the pair, extending a white folder decorated with a rose border. "Everything about the Rosette Games is in here; the rules, filming schedules etcetera."

Gary took the file and helped Leaf up her feet. He opened it up and took a look while she skimmed over a page over Gary's shoulder.

"Oh, now I remember!" Nurse Joy said suddenly, causing everyone to look at her. "Wasn't there a couple who were banned there around that time?" she said absentmindedly as she tapped her chin to get her memories flowing.

Gary and Leaf instantly tensed at this.

"W-Well I guess we'll see you guys at orientation," The brunette boy said trying to divert the other two judges, who seemed to be silently considering who Nurse Joy was referring to. Gary latched his hands on Leaf's shoulders while tucking the folder under his arm to manoeuvre her out of the room before anyone could say otherwise.

"Oh well," Nurse Joy said with a light shrug of her shoulders. "I guess it doesn't matter. Shall we bring in the next couple?"

* * *

Leaf and Gary let out a relieved sigh; both from being accepted into the Games and from escaping their little incident on their trip.

"You're the reason why we were banned from Disneyland," Gary pointed out during their walk down the hall. He went back to reviewing the file while telling his brain to regard Leaf talking as white noise so he wouldn't get distracted.

Leaf huffed, flipping a lock of her hair behind her shoulder. "I have no idea what you're talking about." she said dismissively, but her tone told Gary otherwise.

"Oh really?" he began sizing up, sparing a glance out of the corner of his eyes. "So it wasn't your Wartortle who practically drowned Mickey Mouse?"

Leaf halted to give a pouty glare. "Well you were the one flirting with Minnie," she counteracted placing her hands firmly on her hips.

"Hey, no I didn't!" Gary said defensively, "She came on to me!"

And that is why they were never allowed to return to the kingdom of magic ever again.

As the two started bickering, May and Drew off the side suddenly stopped their own fight to observe them.

May uncomfortably scratched her cheek as recognised who the yelling boy was. "Isn't that your, um… friend?" she asked a little nervously. That couple was really going at it.

Drew waved off the two as if they were buzzing Venomoths' in his ears. "Forget about them," he said dismissively. "What we _should_ be getting back to is this intimacy problem you have."

May groaned for the umpteenth time that morning. Not only did Drew – her temporary fake boyfriend – give her a wakeup call at dawn, but he also made her wear some silly froufrou dress that had a pattern that very much resembled her mother's picnic blanket back home. The pinching shoes on her feet weren't helping much either.

Now Drew demanded her to be comfortable around his proximity… how was she supposed to do that? They have been trying all morning but it came to no avail.

"Well I'm sorry if I can't let you touch me without flinching!" May apologised, faking sincerity. She would honestly rather keep Drew at a respectable distance considering he was still a stranger. A stranger who bought what she thought was an expensive dress seeing as the tag was nowhere to be found upon discovery. The unknown designer label box it came in was her only clue to its price. Too bad Drew chucked it out when she had changed and dragged her to the Contest Hall before she could even bat an eyelash.

Drew groaned, feeling a migraine coming on yet again. How could he stare at a computer screen for several days straight and be perfectly fine but this one girl manages to give him a headache every time they fought? Drew couldn't figure it out and honestly couldn't be bothered to. It's not like he had the luxury of time anyway.

Their interview was up now.

"Then it looks like you're just going to have to suck it up and deal with it," Drew said through gritted teeth.

He was about to drag the girl in the room by the wrist but thought it over and realised that the judges might not look at that as being very couple-like. Drew sighed again.

He had to calm down. He had to be gentle. He had to be a gentle_man_.

If he can talk May into becoming his partner then surely he could convince the judges to let them participate with only a one sided interview. May wasn't pulling her weight; or rather she couldn't, so Drew was going to have to do this all by himself. That actually might make things a little easier. All May had to do in the Games was show up and look pretty. Her Coordinating skills might come in handy too.

"After you," Drew said as he held open the door open for her. The judges on the inside smiled at the gesture while May raised a brow at it. Luckily none of them noticed as she was disclosed by the other door locked in place. His persona just did a complete 180 and now he was all… courteous… it freaked her out a little bit.

"Thank you…" May managed to say as she passed the threshold of the room. Drew internally groaned at her lack of enthusiasm.

Vivian smiled at the two before searching for their names her list. "This is Drew Hayden and May Maple of Hoenn."

The pair took a seat on the sofa and left some space between them. Although there wasn't much room to begin with considering it was so small. May had to swallow a breath.

"Ah, Miss May Maple," Mr Contesta addressed with a smile. Said girl jolted her head up in response. "Your performance at yesterday's contest was quite outstanding."

"T-Thank you," she said stutteringly with a small bow of her head. Drew was too close for comfort. His arm resting on the back of the couch wasn't doing much to help calm her nerves either. She couldn't concentrate like this.

"And ah, Drew Hayden,"

Nurse Joy's voice was able to break May out of her hypnotic state of mind. She looked up to see the woman was reading off a manila file. One each of the judges had. Was there information about them in there? How did they get that when she hadn't prepared anything? Then May remembered it was Drew she was dealing with. He had probably given them info about her. What else he found about her May did _not _want to know.

"It's amazing to see such a talented Coordinating couple," Nurse Joy gushed skimming onto the other side of the file where May's data happened to be. "So how did you two meet?

The brunette flustered at the question. She tried to keep quiet but the shriek in the back of her throat was threating to break out. Drew subtlety nudged her with his foot that rested on his left knee. That small motion told her to calm down, but it was harder nudged than done.

"We met in a contest in Slateport City," Drew replied as if it had actually been true.

May didn't know it, but she actually praised him for coming up with such a quick response. He gave her the basic answers to respond with when asked earlier in the morning, but she found her mind a blur at the moment. She just sat there like a doll.

"Oh, a contest, remarkable," Mr Sukizo interjected with a brief comment.

Mr Contesta nodded at the statement before taking a glimpse at the file in his hands. "So did you compete against one another?"

"Yes," Drew immediately said.

"I'm curious who came victorious because it says here that both of you acquired the Slateport City Ribbon." The other judges beside Mr Contesta took a look at the Ribbon Acquirements to see that both Coordinators had the same ribbon.

"I beat her one year and she won the next," Drew answered to clear the air. May grunted at it though.

She just as well looked up on Drew when she had the chance and briefly remembered looking at his Ribbon Collection online. May was the one who won the Slateport Ribbon _before_ Drew had. Apparently he was in Kanto at the time when she was in Hoenn. Why he lied she did not know. But then again this whole thing was a lie. And May wasn't good at it.

Nurse Joy tilted her head at Drew. "I'm surprised you two are dating after competing against a battle," she said with a frown. Her forehead had wrinkles of confusions as she knitted her brows together. "I mean contests do get very brutal. How did you two manage to hit it off?"

"R-Rose!" May squealed unexpectedly. She instantly covered her mouth upon the outburst, but everyone was already staring at her. This time she managed to catch Drew's split-second glare.

"Excuse us?" Nurse Joy said, hoping May would clarify.

Taking deep breaths she began recovering her composure; the one she had at the a few days ago and not recently. "H-He gave me a rose when we saw each other in another contest…"

A blush dusted over her cheeks as she stared at her lap. This was embarrassing for her, not only that, but what she said wasn't fully a lie.

Drew blinked widely at her. He was surprised May actually remembered what he said. She seemed to like to have that subject avoided for some reason.

"That's right, I gave her a rose." The judges turned back to Drew and wrote something on a clipboard filled with several other review application forms.

This was the only way to compete in the Games. Registering was one thing for contests, but this was a special tournament. Couples actually had to compete even before it will even begin with these interviews. It was something about compatibility, and to make sure these lovers were truly together. How easily fooled they were.

"I guess I got a crush on her after our battle in the final round." May flushed again at Drew's words. He said them so freely, so naturally. It made her a little irritated.

"How sweet," Mr Contesta said, entwining his fingers. "Are you two planning to get married?"

She wanted to scream. May could hear it in her head, but her voice wasn't able to process the command. She would have settled for a spit take, but there was no water in sight. Perhaps it was better if she didn't; that would look a little strange. But marriage! She thought she wouldn't have to think about that until she was eighteen. Not that she had any planning to worry about…

Although she couldn't scream, May's eye somewhat twitched as she froze into an unanimated statue.

Drew, being the ever calm instigator, made a small chuckle as if he were embarrassed. His smile was almost had May fooled. The way he averted his gaze to the floor, his fringe covering his eyes, gave her a clear view of the dimple on his left cheek. She hadn't even realised he moved in closer to her.

"I hope to in the future," he answered as he made a move to put an arm around his girlfriend. "I have to admit I think about that sometimes-"

Literally, the second Drew laid a finger on May's shoulder. The next thing that happened stunned everyone.

The resounding slap made Vivian gasp while the three judges' opinion of the pair began to waver.

"Sorry, she's a little embarrassed being like this in front of people," Drew swiftly explained, grazing this stinging cheek. "May we have a private moment?" he asked the three, but it was more of a proclamation rather than a suggestion as he already took the mocha brunette's wrist and exited out the door, leaving the judges utter speechless.

"I'm not so sure about them," Vivian commented on the side as she leaned in towards Nurse Joy to get a second opinion. The looped haired woman stared at the door, as well as everybody else with the same unsure expression.

"Perhaps…" she trailed off, but soon a smile tugged at her lips. "But they do make an interesting couple…"

* * *

Outside the conference room and down to the furthest corner of the hall, Drew slammed his left hand on the lilac painted wall, with May pinned right in front of him.

She yelped when her head vibrated from the impact, that and recovering from the shock that he didn't hit her. What kind of gentlemen hit a girl? Then again, she wasn't really sure Drew even _was_ a gentleman despite his self-proclamation of being one just a day before.

"I will never love you, and you are never to love me, understand?" he said upfront and straight, which paralysed May for a moment as she stared up at him, mouth slightly agape. "But you have to at least try and make this believable," the Coordinator added moving back from May, rubbing his palm slapped cheek with his free hand. It had started to grow crimson over time. Drew was surprised how hard she could hit.

May wasn't embarrassed in the position they were in., but she was tinging red out of shame for not pulling the act off as best as she would have hoped.

Her attention started to move down to the tiled floor, guiltiness evident in her eyes. _I have to do this_, she thought determinedly. _Not for me, but for Dad…_

Gaining back her composure by closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, the brunette stood tall and stopped leaning on the wall.

She took the hand Drew had rubbing his face and put it down to his side. "Come on let's get some ice for that." May suggested with a smile, not bothering to wait for him to answer as she already tugged the green-haired boy down the corridor.

* * *

"Did you get that all on tape?" Leaf asked Gary as she re-watched the slap May gave Drew. She had to say, the girl was growing on her already.

Gary had to hold onto his stomach as he continued laughing. Somehow he managed to fall on the floor and that still did not stop him. Not that Leaf could blame him; they were replaying that scene over and over and _over_ again.

"Y-Yeah," Gary choked out through his tears. "I knew something hilarious would happen!"

Leaf couldn't help but join in with him as she swung her legs over the armrest of Drew's personal chair back in his computer room at his home.

"Oh, the wonders of hidden cameras," she mused staring at the screen. "There's no way they're getting through after that."

* * *

The pair sat on a marble bench in the garden outside the hall.

May got up and released her Glaceon from its spherical chamber and had commanded it to use ice shard into the white stone fountain set in the courtyard out front. Surprisingly, throughout the entire Contest Hall, there was not one single ice pack to be found. And with Nurse Joy being held up in interviews, the sapphire eyed girl had to make do with what she's got, or rather who.

"Thanks Glaceon," she said gratefully to her Pokémon once the frozen pieces of ice it had shot into the water floated to the surface. "Return and get some rest. I bet you're still tired after yesterday."

With a chime like call, the evolutionary creature disappeared in a flash or red light back into its Poké Ball.

May minimised the orb before placing it back in her waist pouch – the only thing of hers Drew allowed her to wear – and exchanged it for a red and white checkerboard patterned handkerchief. She ignored the irony in the fact that it matched her dress.

Taking a reasonable sized shard from the water, she wrapped it around the thin cloth and walked back to the bench, sitting on the right side of Drew, who had his arms spread out behind him as he stared at the clouds passing by above him. He would have looked carefree if it weren't for the impassive expression on his face. It was unreadable.

"I'm sorry I slapped you…" May murmured, placing the homemade ice pack to the now noticeable mark on his throbbing cheek. The cold substance took the green-haired Coordinator off guard for a moment as he hissed at its touch, but soon found it comforting and helped the pain lessen by a great amount. "I just… never did this sort of thing before…" she admitted, dabbing the gradually melting ice onto his face.

Out of the corner of his emerald eyes, Drew somewhat glanced at her. Seeing her apologetic expression made him sigh. He was still pissed at her of course; however fighting with her won't solve anything right now.

"You mean you've never let a guy within a metre of you?" But that didn't mean he couldn't resist jabbing at her weak points.

This caused May to blush a light shade of rose quartz. She turned away bashfully, lowering her eyes to the gravel below them. "I-it was unexpected alright!" the brunette defended for herself, but it wasn't really making her feel any better.

"Besides," May began soon after to avoid the subject. "I bet you do these things all the time. So you could've given me a little more consideration."

The female Coordinator still kept the ice on Drew as he looked at her briefly before turning his attention back up to the sky. "When did I ever say that?"

May was surprised by his words. She slightly hummed in confusion as her gaze moved from his cheek to his distant looking green irises.

"I-I just thought… you know…" May mumbled, more to herself than him. She had somehow just assumed Drew had the experience considering he was handling things quite well. It was one of those first impression things to her guess. Shameless for her to jump to conclusions, but no one can stop impressions right?

"This is the first time I've ever done something like this too," he admitted, which made May feel a little better. That is until the Coordinator added, "But even I can act out something as simple as cuddling."

May sighed with a sweat drop looming over her hanging head. "L-Like I said it was unexpected!"

Drew couldn't help but laugh. May still attempted to save face, but he mocking her wasn't helping.

Then why did she still try?

* * *

"I take what I said back," Vivian said as she gazed at May and Drew through the window of the interview room. "They look pretty good candidates to me." She tilted her head and smiled at the amusing sight. The two bickering was quite comical.

The three judges had turned in their swivel chairs to observe the two that Vivian coincidentally spotted outside.

All of them shared a knowing smile.

Three couples down, now five more to go.

* * *

_**I'm not sure where I'm going with this; actually I do but have no idea what to fill the middle with. I don't want it to be just boring gibberish. So review please, not that I sound desperate or anything, and hope you guys have a new year's resolution to fill. Making them up as I go as we speak.**_

* * *

**XOXO AsianBunny**


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